The war on drugs has failed. Its failure has been so categorical and
self-evident that the statement itself is bromidic. By any reasonable
metric of success—addiction rates, violence, the availability of drugs
in our schools— it’s clear that our 40-year jihad against
certain plants and chemicals has done far more harm than good. Despite
this, the federal government’s drug war strategy, which is founded upon
aggressive law enforcement and mass incarceration, remains unchanged.